March 22, 2026
Cmd+Tab? More like Cmd+Fab
HopTab–free,open source macOS app switcher and tiler that replaces Cmd+Tab
Meet HopTab, the free Mac lifesaver fans say Apple should’ve shipped
TLDR: HopTab is a free, open-source Mac app that replaces the app switcher and neatly tiles windows with profiles and session restore. Commenters cheer the long-overdue fix, plan to ditch Rectangle, roast Apple’s 2003 relic, and debate paying the dev versus squeezing another icon into the crowded menu bar.
HopTab just dropped like a keyboard-powered superhero, and the crowd is loud. It’s a free, open-source Mac tool that replaces the dusty built-in app switcher (that Cmd+Tab thing) and snaps windows into clean layouts. The dev, robhati, says it started simple; now it pins only the apps you care about, tiles windows into halves/thirds/quarters, and even auto-switches profiles per desktop so your “Coding” setup appears when you swipe to that Space. Commenters are calling it the fix Apple forgot.
The spiciest take? Apple gets roasted for leaving Cmd+Tab untouched since 2003. Fans are ready to ditch Rectangle and AltTab, with one user declaring HopTab “polished” enough to run full time. Another switches from Windows and calls it a “hot pile of mess,” hoping HopTab finally makes Mac workspaces sane. Cue drama: some beg the dev to charge money so it survives, while purists chant “keep it free!” It’s open source, but the sustainability debate gets heated.
There’s humor too: a whole side-thread about menu bar Tetris (“do I have room for one more icon?”), and keyboard die-hards flexing the new combos like cheat codes. Others love that click-to-switch exists for normal humans. Verdict from the crowd: HopTab is the no-nonsense window boss they’ve been waiting for.
Key Points
- •HopTab is a free, open-source macOS app that combines app switching, window tiling, profiles, and session management.
- •Users can pin specific apps and cycle through them with Option+Tab, with actions like quit/hide/minimize available while the switcher is open.
- •Global shortcuts snap windows into halves, thirds, quarters, or fullscreen; sizes can cycle and an undo shortcut restores previous positions.
- •Profiles can be assigned to macOS Spaces and include per-profile pinned apps, layouts, hotkeys, sticky notes, and session save/restore.
- •The app features configurable shortcuts (including 17 snap directions), HyperKey compatibility, update checks via menu bar, and multi-display proportional moves.